MAI – The Singing Pond

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The Singing Pond

A discussion with Indika Ferdinando

One morning, a big black box is delivered to the primary school of a remote little village in Sri Lanka. The children wonder what it might be, while their unimpressionable headmaster locks it away, warning that there’s a ferocious dragon inside that eats mischievous children. No longer able to contain his curiosity, one boy steals the key to the room and the children discover that the headmaster had lied to them. But the boy is caught and punished for his disobedience. A few days later, a new teacher arrives at the school. Thanks to her, the children discover that the mysterious black box makes music.

Indika Ferdinando is a Sri Lankan theatre practitioner and a film-maker. He has received a number of national awards for writing, directing, acting and music composition for theatre and several international awards for his debut feature film, including in China, Vietnam, Germany, the Czech Republic and the USA.In 2002, he graduated with a first class honours degree in drama and theatre from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, where several years later, he read his M.Phil research. Indika is presently a senior lecturer at the University of the Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo. He is currently conducting his PhD research in Theatre at Monash University, Australia.

RSVPLight refreshments will be served, please RSVP for catering purposes by 3 August to: mai-enquiries@monash.edu